Survival
by sanja.erceg8
Summary: The story of how a girl meets her happiness in all misery of war, and how the movie should have ended. P.S. This is my first story :


Fanfiction

I was sitting in a well decorated room, when my neighbor, Mrs. Shao, brought me a cup of tea. My family and I lived in the apartment next to hers, until the Nazis caught us like all Jews. Luckily, the kindest woman next door agreed to let me stay with her, and pose as my grandmother in the case of emergency. She was very nice to me, and would always entertain me with her stories from WWI. 'If I got through that hell, I'll get both of us through this one just as easily!' she often said to comfort me. In return for her kindness, I did the shopping for her. I was very uneasy going out on these streets of Germany, with all the soldiers and SS officers around, especially since I had The Star Of David around my neck (needless to say it was very well hidden). We managed to live a relatively quiet life, until one day…  
I sat on my bed and Mrs. Shao was in the kitchen making dinner. There was a knock on the door, and it didn't bother me, since we had friends who'd often visit us in the afternoon. Mrs. Shao looked through the key hole and paced quickly towards the door of the room I was in, and signaled me to be quiet and shut the tall white door. I got a bit worried, because I knew how fragile and weak Mrs. Shao is. She opened the door, and I heard people walk in. Judging by their footsteps, there was 4 of them. I couldn't distinguish words, just muffled murmur. After a brief conversation, I heard crying. Then, a tall, blond man in a long black coat walked into my room. He had a wide, scary smile on his face, and it only got wider as he looked at me. I wasn't too pleasant too look at. At the time, I was in a very old brown dress that belonged to Mrs. Shao when she was younger, and my long black hair got very curly over the years. The man walked up to me, and said 'I'm col. Hans Landa of the SS' do you speak German, miss?' I recognized him then. Although I found this very strange, I heard that he was to be stationed in France. I nodded, to scared to speak. Behind him I saw three men, German soldiers, holding very large guns. 'That's a lovely necklace you have there, miss Belmont.' So many thought were in my head: How does he know my real name? Why didn't I hide it? Oh god, Belmont is a Jewish name, I'll be shot! From all this, all I could say was 'Thank you'. The Colonel asked me to follow him to his car. I did so, and that ride was very scary. I looked out the window along the road, scared that I'll never see my hometown again. At the same time I was very worried for Mrs. Shao. Soon, we arrived to a large building, I noticed it said something about the Gestapo on it. I was so scared and speechless. I knew they would interrogate me, but what did I know? How would information provided by a 19 year old girl serve the German army? As we walked in, I decided to say everything I knew, although I knew nothing, so they can't hurt me. All I had in my head were some books I read, a few recipes Mrs. Shao thought me in her spare time and an image of my family. I followed Landa across long halls, as he said hello to so many officers, I gained an impression that he was important in the world of the SS and the Gestapo. Indeed he was. We walked into a large circular office, it seemed so depressing and dark. The only life form was a nearly dead cactus on the desk. The Colonel sat on his chair and showed me to sit on a chair opposite him. He then took out his pipe and quietly lit it. I was obviously anxious to find out what will happen to me. He stared into my eyes for a while and I pretended not to notice, as if I were really THAT fascinated by a plant. The silence was broken when he said 'You know, miss, I'm about to be deported to France where I will be stationed for the rest of the occupation.' I thought about the rumors I've heard 'Now, do you know what is my job here?' I said yes, but very quietly. 'Oh no, you don't have to be scared! Quite the contrary! I was only wondering about yourself, please, don't worry!' I wasn't reassured. 'So, what have you heard, regarding my job?' He insisted I tell him. 'Your duty is to take care of the Jews.' It was the best I could do. 'Or so I've heard' I added swiftly. 'Ha, well, those rumors are somewhat true. I'm simply a detective. I understand that you would use a term such as 'take care', being a Jew yourself.' That last comment made me so uneasy I trembled. 'What I wanted to ask you… 'I looked away and he glared into my eyes again. 'was, of course, if you're interested, if you would accompany me to France?' I was more than shocked. Honestly, why would he need me there? Does he like me? I found that too impossible to believe, so, intrigued, I look at him. 'Well?' he asked with that smile of his. I asked him why would he need me there. I let my curiosity get the better of me. 'Well you seem to be a fine young woman, so, naturally, I enjoy your company very much. Now answer me.' He spoke with a smile, but the last question, he had such a serious face, and it changed so unnaturally, suddenly. I got a bit angry with him for being so insisting, and I boldly asked 'And if I don't?' He shrugged, laughed and said 'You'll be shot! You're a Jew! If I were you, I'd be more than grateful for such an opportunity!' Left with no choice, I agreed to go with him to France. Over the new few weeks, I've been thought French, bought new clothes, the Colonel even had a few of his serving girls make my hair 'renewed' as they said. He may be one Nazi scum who killed a lot of people, but, at least he knows how to treat a girl. I haven't seen him until one morning, I was woken to his voice. He said 'Darling, it's time to go, get dressed, I'll be waiting downstairs' I did as he said, and joined him in the car. He allowed me to sleep for most of the trip. When we arrived, I wasn't shocked to see that we had pulled over a large house. 'This will be our home, I hope. I have no intention of marrying you, you'll just have the honor of living with me.' This slightly angered me. The next few months have been rough. There hasn't been a day I didn't think of Mrs. Shao or my family, especially on my 20th birthday. One day, I took a walk around the neighborhood, and a man walked passed me, he handed me a note. I didn't see his face, but I noticed he was wearing old, worn out clothes. The note read nothing more than 'Almost scalped. Both of you.' I was wondering what could this mean, but it seemed threatening, so I didn't inform Landa about it. Life went on as usual, until one night when we were having dinner. He kept insisting that I try the wine, but I've been feeling light-headed, do I kept refusing. At one point, he got so furious, he ordered his men to shoot me, right there and then. Only one armed man walked in, so I pulled out a gun I've been hiding for some time now. I shot the man, leaving Landa shocked. I turned around asked 'What is it with you and your goddamn wine?!' He admitted saying he had poisoned it. Apparently he got bored of me. 'You're brave. I don't like that' the Colonel muttered, and pulled out his own gun and I started running. I wan as fast as I could, through the entire town, until I made it to the woods. I was too tired to carry on, so I sat under a tree to figure out what happened and what am I to do next. In my own thoughts and worries, I fell asleep. In the morning I started walking again. I didn't stop, until right before sundown, when I heard voices. The people were speaking English, so I understood them, since I was American- born. I came a little closer to the source, only to find a group of men, sitting around a fire, laughing and drinking. All of them were dressed like peasants, not army men. I looked at them for some time. One of them was wearing a white shirt, unlike others. He held a baseball bat for the entire time. Next to him, was a man they all addressed as Lieutenant, so I got a bit uneasy, knowing he was trained in the army. In the group was one, very scary looking man. He didn't say a word, but he seemed too enchanted by a knife he held to even pay attention to the conversation. On the other side of the Lieutenant was a short man, they addressed him as Utivich, and he was mostly put down and mocked by the group. After some time, he stood up and looked in my direction. He seemed startled, and pointed a finger right at me and started shouting: 'There she is! Get her!' I could no longer run, but was too scared to stay, so tried hiding, but I was easily found. Three men had their guns pointed to me, ready to shoot anytime. I stared at them, with teary eyes. Is this how I die? From the distance I heard someone with a heavy southern accent say 'You don't do nothing to her! Especially you, Stiglitz! She is a lady, so have some manners and bring 'er over!' The man known as Stiglitz just rolled his eyes and didn't put away his gun like the other two. I felt relieved for a moment. They pushed me to the lieutenant, just as the sun was setting. 'English?' He asked me rudely, not even having the common courtesy to introduce himself. I said yes and sat beside him. 'Okay, now yall leave, I'mma have a word with the lady here. Wicki, I'll be needin' you, so come over here' He said to his men. All of them left, but the one with the bat kept looking and staring. 'What's the matter Donny? You in love? I said leave, so do it, goddamnit! GO!' he said really annoyed. Then his eyes met mine as he went on 'You might have heard of me, I'm Lt. Aldo Rain, but you husband might mention me as Aldo the Apache' He said running his fingers through his hair, very proudly. 'This here is Wilhelm, you met him, remember?' I was so shocked, I've never seen this man, but I've heard of Aldo, it's just that I'm not married. I was confused, but I managed to say 'I don't know anything about this. I'm not married, or have seen your friend Wilhelm.' 'Don't ya go lieing to me, now, right? I know you moved here with the Jew Hunter and you two have been livin' together, like the Nazi scum you are. And you might remember the note you got? The one Wicki passed to you on that Tuesday? It was my promise, and I keep mah promises, you know?' I rembered the threatening note I received, so I got frightened, but felt the need to explain my relationship with Landa. 'You have it all wrong! I'm not a Nazi! I'm American like you! And I am not married to the Colonel, he asked me to live with him, as an Alternative to being shot, so I accepted, I'm a Jew! Pease don't hurt me, I'll do anything!' I said and started crying, seeing that there is no point in pleading with these men. 'Now, it's not that I don't believe ya, but it's a lill' odd, your situation? Can you prove what you've said?' Aldo said, calming me. 'Yes! I can! I speak English don't I? My name Is Catherine Belmont. I have a necklace too, it was given to me by my mother when I was 16, before they've been shot!' Wicki was intrigued, so he asked me more about me, so I told the everything about , my escape from Landa, the way I killed that guy, and how I ran for 2 days. Aldo seemed a bit more convinced, but still didn't trust me. 'See, it's gettin' pretty late, and we've all had a rough day, so let's get some shuteye, we'll take care of you in the mornin'. Donny! Show the missy a place to sleep, will ya?' Donny took my hand and led me to a nearby tree and pointed to it's roots that were sticking out of the ground. 'This here makes a pretty great pillow. Maybe not for you since you've been living like Nazi royalty for how long?' I was a bit upset by the fact that he too was calling me a Nazi, but I decided not to come off as unpolite. 'Please, I'm not a Nazi, it was more like prison, really. And it's just been a few months' he shrugged and said something about taking my word for it. Donny then layed down and pointed to a spot next to him 'Doesn't meet your standards?' I said anything is just fine. I fell asleep just a second before I felt The Bear Jew put his arm around me. It made me feel so safe, but I'm not even sure if he was awake and aware of what he was doing at the time. In the morning, I was awoken by a male voice saying 'Come on, beautiful, the sun's already shining and the lieutenant wants to see ya.' I opened my eyes slowly, still very tired and sleepy and I saw him standing and looking down on me. Sgt. Donny Donowitz was very tall, well taller than me, and he was smiling as he ran his fingers through his greasy black hair, flexing his muscles. Was it on purpose? I got up and said good morning as I walked towards Aldo. He told me to sit down and asked me how I slept. After a minute of idle chatting, he said 'Look, last night I've been thinkin' and I got no choice but to trust ya. But if I ever see ya talkin' to any Nazi son of a bitch, I'll personally get ya. Okay? And one more thing, now that you're with us, you'll be stayin' with us. I don't want ya runnin' off to your Jew Hunter and tellin' him where we are, cause we'll be shot momentarily. Got that?' I found myself very upset by the fact that he still thinks I'd betray them and tell Landa anything. After all, he just imprisoned me, while the Basterds were like me; Jewish and American. I thought about what I will answer, because I didn't want to blow my opportunity to go with them. 'Yes, sir. I understand everything, but I still believe there is no reason for you to even think about me telling on you, especially not to Landa.' He looked at me questioning my words. 'We'll just see about that. Now, I think you already got to know me and Sgt. Donnowitz, and young Wicki here too, and now you'll get a chance to meet Stiglitz. You've heard of him, haven't ya?' Of course I have. The Colonel told me everything about his killings and the escape. 'Yes, I've heard something, but what do you mean "get to know him?"' I wondered. 'Well, you see, we've gotta go to the orchard there, it won't take us long enough to get there, but we can't really trust you to go with us..' Aldo was interrupted: 'What? Why not? She's just a girl, she's unarmed, can't you see she's harmless?' Donowitz protested. 'Now, it's not too polite to interrupt, sergeant. And that's exactly _why_ she's not coming alone. In case we're attacked, she'll be the first to go!' Aldo was really annoyed. 'Give her a gun then!' Donny insisted on me coming along, and I was really happy to see that, since I didn't have the courage to stand up to Aldo. 'Look, Donowitz, you should really shut the fuck up right about now. I know what I'm doing, right? So, we're going, Belmont and Stiglitz are staying. That's it.' I was a bit uneasy, since I've noticed that Stiglitz doesn't talk much, so I was unsure of what he thought of me. 'Fine. I guess you're the lieutenant here.' Said Donny, very annoyed and clinging onto his bat as if it was going to save his life. 'But why me? And if we're attacked?' Stiglitz finally spoke and his voice was so deep and so mysterious, yet upset. 'I chose you, Hugo, because you're the only one here I'm sure won't try anything funny with our beautiful guest. And you're not an idiot, you know what to do. But make sure she's alive.' Lt. Raine was determined. But some of his words were spinning through my head even after they had left and it was just the two of us. How can he say I'm just a guest, he said he trusted me. Does that mean I'll be leaving soon? But he said I'm staying with them. And what did he mean by "try anything funny"? I can interpret this in so many ways. I don't know what to think anymore! The silence was broken when Hugo said 'He really likes you.' I was wondering what did he mean by that, so I just asked 'Who?' He looked at me like I asked something outrageous, and said 'Donny.' I started smiling like a smitten teenager. Sure, I've found Donowitz quite attractive and charming, but I've known him for a day. How can I even be sure of what to feel? 'What do you mean, Hugo?' I was confused so I asked. He just lit a cigarette and looked at me. 'He stood up today, he was close arguing with the lieutenant. That's not something he would likely do, and he was doing it so he could spend some time with you.' I guess he was right. But it was impossible, he's known me for less than a day! In the rest of the time I've spent with Stiglitz, I haven't managed to get him to talk to me much, or share anything about himself. He spent the 4 hours sharpening his knife and smoking, and he would tell me a few stories, but only recent ones, from the war. I have no idea who he is, or what's he been doing before the war. But, he did ask me about myself and seemed to listen and care for what I was saying. I told him about everything. I got the impression that he was more of a listener, but at the end of our conversation, he looked like he trusted me a little more than Aldo did. When the Basterds returned, they were all very happy, they've found a lot of weapons and some meat in the orchard. I was just relieved to see that no one was hurt. We've had dinner, all of us were joking and laughing. At some point, Aldo got serious and looked at Stiglitz. Hugo signaled him that he wants to go talk to him in private, so they left. They were far away so I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it looked like Hugo was doing most of the talking, which was surprising to me. Everyone else noticed it too. After 4 or 5 minutes, when they returned, they sat down and Aldo asked, as if he was only doing it to mask something; 'I forgot to ask you, has there been any trouble?' Hugo said no very quietly, as if he were hiding something, but I knew that he wasn't. Aldo looked at me, and I understood that he was asking me the same question. 'No, it's been really peaceful. I'm okay, and so is Hugo. Doesn't that tell you anything?' I answered, a bit upset that Stiglitz left the impression that something did go wrong. 'Okay, so, I need to ask ya a few questions before I make you an official Basterd, If that's okay?' He looked at me, then at Donny, and smirked and Donny looked as if he were going to burn him down with his stare. 'Sure.' I said very quickly and awkwardly, since I was trying to break the tension between the two men. 'Right then. So your name is Catherine Belmont, you're an American Jew, you've lived in Germany, but then you've been captured and moved to France. Right?' Aldo was interrogating me. I got a bit uneasy, but I had nothing to hide, so I said yes. 'And what languages do you speak?' 'German and English, obviously.' He looked at me, almost surprised. 'So you may be of some use.' This was slightly insulting, because it implied that I was useless earlier. At least, until he learned this detail about me. I thought it would be best to remain calm and polite, so I just smiled. 'You're a very beautiful young girl.' I said thank you, but Aldo seemed a bit annoyed that I interrupted him. 'Yer welcome. So, I was saying that that's just what the Germans want. I believe you've heard of the camps set up? And how they treat women there, you wouldn't be able to handle that. When you get caught, they would rape you and murder you eventually.' I got a bit scared, and I think he's noticed that from my eyes, so he continued in a much calmer, softer voice. 'But that's only IF you get caught. Me and my boys here will make sure you don't!' I got so much happier and I smiled and thanked him. 'You might have heard about out killin' Nazi business.' Aldo continued as if he hadn't noticed my reaction. 'I don't think you're up to that. You're just a fragile girl, and besides, I don't trust you that you're not a spy yet. But I'm sure as heck a lot closer to it now.' I was pretty sure Stiglitz has convinced him somehow to trust me. 'Please, believe me when I say, I'm not a German spy! But I would have absolutely no problem with doing that job for America. And I'm up to the task of killing Nazis! I want revenge! They killed my entire family, and they took me away from the only friend I had! I hate them, they are swine!' I got too upset and angry that I forgot that I was supposed to be polite. 'Woah, calm down, I get you're hatred, but don't yell at me!' I apologized, and Aldo said he understands me. He also said that he will think about taking me to their next mission, if it's easy enough for me, to determine just how capable I am. And to see if I'm as good with a gun as I say I am, since my father's been training for about 5 years, but then the war started, so we stopped. It was night time and we went to sleep, me once again next to Donny. It was something we both felt, like love at first sight. Actually, more like confusing, mixed feelings at first sight. But it was comforting to know that I can at least count on him no matter what. Tomorrow was a peaceful, sunny day. Nothing happened, and I wasn't assigned so any mission since we didn't encounter any Nazis as we walked through the woods, searching for a new location to set up camp. When we finally did, it was already sundown, so we just sat and chatted for a while, sharing stories of life we hope to have after the war. Donny and I had spent the entire day talking and joking, and sometimes Aldo would look at us, as if he were proud. So when Donny said he has in plan to move back to Boston with someone special he hopes to meet, even Wicki looked at me. It was like everyone was noticing the romance but me. I mean, how could I? I've known him two days, and suddenly I'm supposed to be in love? I thought about it and realized that there is no "supposed to" in love and that I should follow my heart. So I did. When it was time to sleep again, I couldn't resist but to fall to Donny's arms, which was becoming a habit. I woke up in the middle of the night, for no apparent reason. Aldo was sleeping under a tree not far away from the one Wicki was settled under. It was like the trees were our beds. Does that imply that I'm sharing a bed with Donny? He was laying next to me, breathing heavily, he was in deep sleep, so I decided not to wake him. The only one not asleep was Utivich, who was guarding camp tonight. I started a conversation with him. 'How long are your shifts?' I asked hopefully, since I hadn't had a chance to talk to him too much. 'I should be done in about an hour. Then it's Aldo's turn. I'm getting pretty tired here, so I hope it's less than an hour. Why aren't you asleep anyways?' He seemed so surprised, but happy to have someone to talk to during his shift. 'I just woke up, I can't sleep. I guess I miss my family too much.' I answered looking at the ground. 'Why don't you go to sleep, I'll take over?' I hoped I wasn't asking too much of him, disobeying the lieutenant's orders. 'I probably shouldn't… But I am really tired, and I would let you, but you'll have to wake Aldo and he'll see what I've done!' he was declining my offer, but I was persistent: 'I'll wake you up, and you can wake him up, and I'll be pretending to sleep! Please, I'm bored now. I think nothing's going to happen, it hasn't all day long, and it's too late for Nazis to be wondering around the forest this late! And you'll get enough sleep, so you'll be rested and ready in case something comes up tomorrow, and who cares if I'm not? The lieutenant doesn't let me go anywhere. Come on, what do you say?' 'Well, when you put it like that, I guess it's okay, and it's for less than an hour, isn't it? But you must wake me up firs, or we're both in trouble. I wouldn't want you to get the lieutenant angry, he can be pretty mean sometimes.' I managed to persuade him, so he handed me his machine gun and went to sleep under a tree. I sat there for about 20 minutes, when I heard some noise from a far. I distinguished footsteps of a few people that weren't very sneaky, or weren't trying to be. I was a little frightened, but I had the gun at the ready. When the figures came near, almost in the camp, I noticed that they were wearing Gestapo uniforms. There were two of them, and I didn't recognize them, but they seemed to be very drunk. One of them looked at me and tapped the other one by the shoulder. Thankfully, they didn't notice the Basterds laying around. Both of theme took out their guns, pointed them at me. My heart was pounding, I thought I was going to die, I thought of giving up. Then, thoughts of my family went through my head, I wanted revenge. Also, if I were to give up, they would have the Basterds shot too. So, I stopped thinking, and fired my gun right at them. I shot them both, but they fired too. Luckily, they hit the trees and not any of us. They were both on the ground now, and I shot a few more times to make sure they're dead. The noise woke everyone up. Aldo jumped and shouted 'What the fuck is going on?' Wicki took out his gun, Stiglitz had prepared his trusty knife for attack, Donny was swinging his bat, Utivich just sat up. 'Belmont! What in the name of heavens do you think you're doing?!' Aldo was upset. 'I told you she would try to kill us!' Wicki was taking his side, while Stiglitz was coming closer to me with his knife. 'Wow, Hugo, calm down, she didn't do it! Put that away! Are you crazy?' Donny was the only one defending me. 'Okay, so what happened?' the lieutenant didn't see the bodies of the two Nazis since it was dark, so he thought I was shooting at them and missed, and hit the trees. 'Wait, Utivich, why the hell are you asleep? I thought you were guarding this?' Aldo wouldn't let me start explaining, but I just started talking, forgetting to be polite, since this was an unusual situation. 'Lieutenant, it was me. I asked Utivich to go to sleep and that I would guard camp. And that's what I was doing until…' 'You tried to kill us?!' Stiglitz was insisting, and wouldn't let me finish. 'Shut up.' Aldo looked at him, then at me. 'Until I saw to Nazis, Gestapo officers, coming this way. They were drunk, and tried shooting at me, but missed, and hit those trees, and I was shooting at them, never at you! Look, their bodies are right over there! I swear, look at the bullets, they're pistol bullets, and I'm holding a machine gun! See their bodies?' Aldo, Hugo and Donny went to investigate. 'Wow, this is impressive, Belmont.' Donny smiled at me. 'Hugo, you know what to do. The rest of you go to sleep, I'm taking over, until morning.' The lieutenant showed no emotion, so I didn't know what to think. But he didn't seem angry, but he didn't seem impressed either. I went back under our tree, and as Donny was sitting next to me, he said 'You scared me a bit. But I trust you, and you're pretty great with a gun.' Then he kissed me on the cheek. I felt so happy, but was it because he kissed me, or because I got his approval? Wondering, I fell back to sleep. I was awoken but Aldo yelling at us: 'Guys, take a hike, and find something for miss Belmont to wear, her dress is getting all ripped up. If we keep pulling her through these bushes, there won't be anything left of it!' Donny added 'Not that I'd mind her dress not being there.' Most of the laughed, but Aldo put his hands around his waist and stared at him deathly. 'Donnowitz, I understand you left your manners in 'merica, but please try not to be an animal around the lady.' He smirked, and then they left. Aldo looked at me, and crossed his arms. 'Look, Catherine, what you did last night was pretty amazing. Your shootin' skills are not so bad for a girl. But you have to understand what you did was pretty dumb, you could have gotten hurt. Badly.' 'Yes, lieutenant I understand, it won't happen again. I was only worried that Utivich won't be rested enough, and in case something happened, he wouldn't be able to defend himself properly.' I said in an apologetic tone. 'Well it's nice you care about us like that. And what you did wasn't just stupid, it was bold. It showed that you're willing to go to great extents to fight for what's right.' Aldo then looked at me proudly, like my father would when I shot the bull's eye. 'That's exactly the qualities we're looking for in a Basterd. Now, if you're interested in becoming the first ever female Basters, we'd be more than delighted to welcome you to our little army.' This was the thing I could only dream of hearing, so naturally I said: 'Yes, of course! I won't fail you, lieutenant!' 'That's what I like to hear. The guys will be back soon to give you something more appropriate to wear. That dress doesn't seem too practical in combat, now does it?' He was right. A few short moments later, Stiglitz returned, carrying a small package in his hands. Aldo then took it from him and gave it to me, saying: 'Here's something you should wear now, and it's the best we've got. The rest, we didn't even bother stealin', it was mostly those prick jackets with the swastika and we don't want to be seeing you in that, okay then?' I said yes, and he told everyone to turn away so I could change behind a tree. I put on the plain white shirt I got and trousers. Though they were male clothes, they were a lot more practical, especially for combat, and it seems I'll be dealing with a lot of combat in the future. The next few weeks were relevantly uneventful, besides that we killed about 30 Nazis, and I handled 4 of them. Lt. Raine says it's quite good for someone who never had any training for the army. Every night I've been falling asleep in Donny's arms and later we even progressed to kissing on the lips. In that moment I was sure that I had some feelings for him, but did he feel the same? Aldo says he's caught Donowitz looking at me a few times. Aldo and I are now forming some sort of friendship, and we get to talk a lot, since he lets me guard with him, so I share his shift. 'Something is concerning me.' I told Aldo one night as we sat by a lake. 'Aw, darlin' you can tell me anythin'' he looked at me like I was his child and not one of the soldiers in his troops. This was good, but sometimes I wasn't allowed to go on missions with them, I'd have to be watched over by someone. Lately he's been choosing Donowitz to stay with me, I think he's noticed our little 'fling' too. 'You, and Stiglitz, actually all of you, have been so secretive lately. Is something going on?' 'Listen, there is somethin', but you shouldn't worry yourself with that, just some Basterd related stuff, no big deal' he answered, admitting that he's hiding something from me. 'I thought I was a Basterd too?' I was upset. He smiled and said: 'Sure, you are, but this is more of a man's job, you know?' 'No, I don't know! I've proven to you over and over that I can kill just as you can! If this is putting any of you in danger, tell me, I will do my best to help!' 'We're all in danger, all of us, it's a war, see? Now enough on the subject.' I had to stop asking, he was the lieutenant, not me. In the morning I decided to try talking to Donny about it, but his responses were almost identical as Aldo's. This was starting to worry me. But then, one day I noticed that Donny and Aldo were arguing, and, if Stiglitz was right, I was the cause. When they returned, Aldo called us all over and told me to listen carefully. 'Now, Catherine, I wasn't gonna do this, but Donowitz told me I should, and in order to be a good leader and lieutenant I sometimes have to take the advice of my soldiers. The thing we've been so secretive about is our next operation, but it's top secret, so keep your mouth shut.' 'You're not going to tell her about Kino are you?' Stiglitz seemed to protest, but as he did, I was getting more and more intrigued. 'Shut up.' Aldo gave him a glare and continued: 'As you've heard from Stiglitz, I'm talkin' 'bout Operation Kino. Here's what we'll do. There'll be that premiere thing soon enough and all the Nazi bosses will be there, so we're gonna get in contact with a British agent, Hicox, and we intend to blow up the cinema. You'll stay out of it, and not speak a word of it, understood?' 'Do you plan on using suicide bombers for your little mission?' I was scared. 'Yea, in the matter of fact, we do!' Aldo answered me with a rude tone. 'Now, this is none of your business, so stay out of it!' I tried speaking afterwards, but he told me to shut up. I had no choice but to talk to Donny about my concerns. That night, as Aldo and I were guarding, I couldn't help but ask 'Can I help somehow with operation Kino? I have to, I feel like it's my duty as a Basterd' he almost felt sorry for me, he said 'Look, I understand that you care about Donny, and with any luck, he won't be hurt, none of us will, but there's just nothing you can do.' 'I will do absolutely anything' I was pleading, but he kept saying no, so I just had to learn to live with the fact that I'll be left out completely. A few days after that, Stiglitz and Wicki were supposed to meet their contact, Bridget von Hammersmark in a tavern. Donny seemed a bit annoyed by the fact that it was a basement, but Aldo calmed him down while Stiglitz and Hicox were talking, but I didn't get what they were saying. Then, it was time for them to leave. I was more than worried about the outcome. After some time, Aldo suddenly stood up and signaled me and Donny to stay where we are. He ran back towards us 'They're shootin' we need to do somethin' come on! Take this!' He was so upset, and I was almost crying, but I took the grenade in my hand and did as I was told all the way through. Aldo made a deal with a German soldier, but only Bridget made it alive from the incident. I was unsure of what really happened, I couldn't speak I was so angry when Aldo came out and said that both Stiglitz and Wicki are dead. I was told to wait in another room while Aldo, Utivich and Donny interrogated the German actress. I was trembling while I waited in the waiting room of a veterinarian's office. When the three men greeted me, I was somewhat relieved to see that they have a plan and that Operation Kino can go on. That night we spent the night in the basement where we waited for Bridget, and Donny has been comforting me for a couple of hours before he fell asleep. However, I couldn't. I was looking through the window, when I noticed a group of people walked into the Tavern where it all happened. One of the was wearing the distinctive SS black coat, and when I took a closer look, I noticed it was no other, than Col. Hans Landa. My worst nightmare. I knew if he saw me, he would have me shot momentarily, but I risked it and kept looking through the window. They walked in, and only moments later, some German soldiers came out. Some time later, Landa himself walked out. He was smiling eerily as he put a small white object into his pocket. I had no idea what it was, and I had no intention of finding out, so I just moved away from the window, and fell asleep next to Donny. Tomorrow was the day of the premiere, and I was overwhelmed. Two of my closest friends have already died, and this is the harder part of the operation. Aldo took me to a farmer's house. He told him to hide me well, and told me not to move, just wait, they'll come get me no matter what happens. I sat there, I talked to the farmer and his daughters and time passed slowly. It was almost sunrise already, and there was a knock on the door. I stood up, ready to open it, but I was told do hide, in case it was someone we weren't expecting. I refused and sat on the chair. Aldo walked in, looking very handsome in his white tuxedo and Utivich was right next to him. I couldn't read heir facial expressions to see what happened, so I asked. 'Well, it all went relatively… Oh who am I kidding? It's over! The war is over!' He was laughing and smiling and Utivich was jumping, but I couldn't believe it! I asked them to share all the details, and they told me all about Landa's deal and the way Hitler was at the premiere as well and how it all went great. I was more than overjoyed by the fact that the war was finally over and that I had managed to survive it! But, one thing was bugging me. 'Where is Donny?' I asked with a concerned look on my face. 'Uh, look, Catherine…' Aldo was unsure of what to say next, and I could sense that he was about to tell me some bad news, so I sat down. 'You have to understand that Donowitz was very brave, and if it weren't for his sacrifice, you and I would still be killin' Nazis, instead they're killin' themselves!' He went on and on about how Donny was crucial to the success of Operation Kino and how he died fighting, but I could no longer listen to him… In the past few months, I've gotten to know these men so well, I've even fallen in love with one. And _he_ of all people was dead. This war took everything I had: my family, my pride, my friends, and now my love as well? Aldo told me that I shouldn't worry, that I've killed enough Nazis, that we've all gotten our revenge and that peace was restored in the world and that's all that mattered. He was right, but I was missing Donny so much. 'Can I go to the theater to say goodbye?' I asked, leaving Aldo and Utivich in surprise that I'm not showing the slightest signs of being excited about the war ending. 'Of course. I think that's something we all need to do. So, shall we?' Aldo got more serious and gave me a hand at getting up. Once we arrived near the cinema, from the distance I saw a man standing and staring at the ruins. I thought it was a family member of a victim, or perhaps someone like me, who couldn't believe that it was over and had to come see it for himself. As I got closer I saw it was him, it was Donny. Was this real? Or was it just my imagination and the fact that I've been missing him so much, that my mind started playing tricks on me? 'Donny?' I whispered. His clothes were covered in blood, and I was worried that he's badly injured. We stood there in disbelief, Aldo and I were both trying to get a word from the person we believed to be Donny. I was unsure it was him since his face was covered in blood. After a few hours of standing still, he turned to me and kissed me. He held me so tight and I didn't know how to react so I kissed back. He looked into my eyes, his were filled with tears. 'What's the matter? Are you OK?' I was so curious and thankful for the fact that Donny was fine. 'I escaped. I unstrapped the bomb from my leg and I ran, so did Hirschberg.' He seemed confused, and I was too. 'So where is he?' 'They shot him. One of the Nazis, he wasn't dead, he was shooting at us, but I got away' after this brief conversation, he silently headed towards the spot where the camp was set up when I joined the Basterds. For a moment, it was so quiet, and then Aldo suggested: 'I guess we should say a few words for our friends…' 'You're right…I'll go first' Donny said, and I was happy to see that he was slowly starting to come to peace with the fact that some of we left in war. 'Today, it's the end of this war.' He began. 'In this war, we lost so many good people. Innocent people, soldiers, friends, family.' He started tearing up. 'When it began, I was scared, I was worried. But I'm not anymore. I don't care how injured I got, as long as I know that I've gotten my revenge. I'm proud to say that I've been a part of this one, final battle. But it's still upsetting to me to know that when I return to my home, my mother and my sister may not be there. My home might have gotten ruined, I lost a lot of great friends. But they died as heroes of their time. Now it's our duty to never let them be forgotten. And even though I will never see them with my eyes again, their image will never fade from my heart, and that's the least we can do for them at this point. You will be remembered, you will be loved.' As he finished, I was in tears and so were Aldo and Utivich. When Donny sat down, we made a deal to return to our homes, but to meet again someday. 'You're oddly quiet, Belmont.' Aldo noticed. 'I've got no home, or family.' I replied still trembling from the shock I've had to take in today. 'Wasn't it clear? You're going with me!' Donny replied. This is the first time I've seen him smile since I've learned of Operation Kino. 'If you want, of course' he added, showing me that he's ready to move on. I smiled, and he took it as a yes. Then he looked me in the eyes and knelt down. 'I guess I should do this properly.' I knew what he was going to do, but I couldn't believe it. He cleared his throat and continued 'Catherine Belmont, will you marry me and go to America with me?' I started crying 'Yes! Of course I will!' I couldn't stop smiling and he kissed me while Aldo and Utivich looked proudly and we even got an applause. The fire we had lit reminded us of the great people we lost, but at the same time of just how better our lives will get, because of the bravery of those men. It was the greatest day of my life.  
-3 years later-  
I'm standing in front of a great white mirror, in a great white dress. An elderly lady enters the room, dressed in a very elegant skirt and coat. She asks me if I need anything. 'No, thank you, Mrs. Donowitz' I reply and she gives me a hug, I'm starting to get really emotional. 'Is something wrong, my dear?' 'Oh, no I'm only remembering the war, and how I've almost lost Donny then.' She looks me in the eyes and whispers 'He gave us a good scare didn't he?' We laugh, and a young woman comes in, also wearing a beautiful dress, almost identical to mine, only it's lavender. 'He's waiting outside. It's time. You ready?' that was Donny's younger sister, Elisabeth. I only nodded, whipping my tears away. 'Hey there, pretty, you ready to get married?' Aldo was waiting outside my room since he was to give me away. 'Yes, sir, I certainly am!' I responded without thinking about it for a moment. He gave me reassuring smile, and we walked out of the house in which Donny's mother and sister were to move in after the war, and that's now. We were walking through the amazingly decorated garden, with a lot of guests gathered, including Utivich and Mrs. Shao (I don't know how they managed to track her down!). At the end of a white carped, laid out specially for this occasion, Donny stood. He looked more handsome than ever. I've gotten use to his though look, but seeing him in a black tuxedo, shaved, hair combed perfectly, made me fall in love all over again. As we said our vows, and exchanged rings, I can swear I heard my mother's voice, she whispered in my ear 'I'm so proud of you, Cathy' The first thing I thought was 'Mom, wherever you are, say hi to Hugo Stiglitz and Wilhelm Wicki for me.' After the guests started leaving, only Aldo and Utivich stayed, as our mutual best friends. 'And where will the happy couple honeymoon?' Elisabeth had to ask. 'I hear Nantucket is nice…' Donny's mother suggested. 'Oh no, you don't want to be going there, don't they Utivich?' Aldo said smirking 'I guess not.' Utivich agreed and they laughed, leaving me and Donny in utter confusion. To this day, I don't understand what was so funny, but it might have something to do with the 5 bottles of wine that 'disappeared' on Aldo's table that night…


End file.
